A Midsummer Night's Rent
by Rabid RENThead
Summary: Shakespeare Rent style :D
1. Act I, Scene 1

Disclaimer: Jonathan and Shakespeare own

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Hope y'all like it! I got a bit of negative feedback, but I am determined to make this idea work. I know it got a bit tedious at the end, but my brain went blaatttt. The scene gets a bit tedious at the end, too, anyway, so whatever :P

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**Act I, Scene 1**

Benny and Alison sat on the balcony of their loft, Benny's arm around Alison's waist. Alison sat rather stiffly upright, gazing at the moon. In just four day, it would be full and their wedding ceremony would take place.

"Four more days…" Benny sighed, "Four more slow, slow days. Time just drags by when you're waiting."

To Alison, however, these days would go by fast, bringing her into imprisonment, binding her with a gold ring. True, she was growing to enjoy Benny's company, but she still hated the fact that she could remain a proud virgin no longer. Damn her father for pushing her into marriage. She scooted away from Benny a bit more.

"Alison, honey," Benny said softly as he moved towards her more, "I know you're bitter about what your father did. But you must know that I will make you happy. I really do love you, Alison, I…" A knock on the door interrupted him. Grumbling, he went back into the loft, pulling open the door to find none other than Hernando Marquez, accompanied by his daughter, Mimi, and Benny's two former roommates, Roger and Collins. Roger had an arm around Mimi, patting her shoulder, comforting her, and Collins stood a couple feet away, looking at the ground.

Hernando smiled, shaking Benn's hand vigorously. "Very nice to see you again, Mr. Coffin, a pleasure." His voice was tinted with a Mexican accent that showed through his business-like tone.

"The same to you, Hernando. So, what is it?"

Hernando's face drooped into a scowl as he tugged on Mimi's arm, pulling her towards him and away from Roger. "This, as you know, Mr. Coffin, is my daughter Mimi."

"Yes, I am familiar with her."

"And this," Hernando, continued, his voice softening, "Is a wonderful young man I am sure you know."

"Yes, I know Tom. And Roger too." He gestured towards the man in the back glaring at Hernando.

"Yes, this," spat Hernando, "Is Roger." He said the name with a heavy tone of contempt, as if speaking of a traitor. "Now, I have graciously allowed Thomas Mimi's hand in marriage."

Benny looked confused. "But, Mr. Marquez, Collins – I mean, Tom – is…"

"Yes, I know that, but he agreed to make an exception." Collins hadn't really agreed at all, but had been pressured into it. He hated to let Mr. Marquez down, though, so he stayed silent. "Anyway, I want them to be happy together, and they would be, if not for this Roger." His voice took on a tone of contempt again. "He seduced my darling Mimi, convincing her that she is in love with him. I know this is not true, but they deny it, and Mimi refuses to marry Thomas."

"Well then," Alison interrupted, "Let her marry the man she loves!"

"Be silent, woman!" Hernando glared at her. "This man" He gestured to Roger. "Is a good-for-nothing bum who doesn't make any money and can't support my daughter, whereas Thomas here is a professor. I want her to have a stable future like she deserves, not a life of evading rent and living on next to nothing. All I ask is to give her a choice. Either she marries Thomas, or she becomes prohibited from any apartments owned by Coffin, Inc. or Grey Corp."

"But, Mr. Marquez, don't you think that's a little cruel?" Benny didn't want to see Mimi forced onto the streets. He knew what being prohibited from these apartment would mean. Coffin, Inc. and Grey Corp. had bought up almost all of the apartment complexes in this area; the remaining ones would be out of Mimi's budget or very far away.

"Her duty as a daughter is to respect me, and if she does not, I can do whatever I want about it. I will compensate you, of course."

Benny paused for thought. He figured he oculd find a way to avoid forcing Mimi onto the streets, and a little money couldn't hurt. "Okay. I agree."

Mimi burst into tears, and Roger stepped forward to comfort her. Collins excused himself to get a drink, and Benny and Hernando went into Benny's office room to discuss matters. Alison had left earlier in a huff, although no one had really noticed until now. The only people left in the main room were Mimi, sobbing, and Roger, stroking her hair. They sat down on the couch, staying as close to each other as they could.

"Oh God, Roger, what are we going to do? I can't marry Collins, but there's no way I could survive without an apartment…"

"Shh, honey, shh. We'll figure something out." Roger just held her tight for a moment, trying to think of a way to get around the situation, when something dawned on him.

"Mimi, honey, I have an old friend who lives a few miles from here who would definitely be willing to let us live with him. Tonight we can run away through the tent city areas and ask him if he can take us in. We would be away from Benny and Collins and Alison; they would never know where we went!"

"Oh, really, Roger?" Mimi kissed him, now crying tears of joy. "That's perfect!"

They left, going back to Roger's loft, smiling all the way. They began to pack what little they had when they heard a knock on the door.

"That must be Angel," Mimi guessed. "She said she was coming over."

They let the drag queen in, but rather than greeting them with hugs, she collapsed on the couch, weeping.

"Ang, what's wrong?" Mimi stroked her hair, trying to comfort her friend.

"It's… it's Collins. He just ignores me all the time! I don't know what's wrong! Did he… go straight?" The thought brought on a fresh wave of tears, smearing her mascara and eyeliner even more.

"No, Ang, my dad… he's making him marry me."

"What?" Angel screeched. "That… that bastard!"

"It's okay, Angel, you won't have to worry anymore. Tonight, Roger and I are going to his friend's house. We can get married there and not have to worry about Benny or my father anymore. We're meeting in the Tent City. Anyway, Ang, we have to go." Mimi gave her friend a long embrace. "I'll write you, I swear."

"Good luck with Collins, Angel."

Mimi and Roger, each carrying plastic bags full of clothes and other necessities left the loft, leaving the tear-stained Angel to herself.

"I need to get Collins to love me again," she thought. "I… I'll tell him where Mimi and Roger went! Then he'll owe me." Angel finally smiled, running off towards Benny's loft, where the three men were still discussing business.


	2. Act I, Scene 2

Disclaimer: sings I don't own Midsummer's Night, or Reeeent!

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AN: Wow, I haven't written in over a bajillion months. My only excuse is pronoun problems. You try writing something with six drag queens in it at once! Oh, and Monday was my half-birthday! And happy birthday to Laurel Ducky Muah!

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**Act I, Scene 2**

Queen Sally did one last dusting of the assorted seats arranged in the center of her apartment before she heard a knock at her door. She smoothed down her brown sundress quickly and pushed a lock of her auburn chin-length wig behind her ear before opening the door. Before she could speak, a pink-clad Nikki Bottom sprung onto her, smothering her with a huge hug. Sally managed to pry the other drag queen off of her and greeted the rest of her friends. Snug hugged her tightly, then pranced into the apartment, flopping down into a pink chair. Flo gave a small smile, propping herself gingerly on a slightly wobbly bar stool. Snow stooped down to give Sally a kiss on the cheek, then spread herself out on a loveseat. Sally had to wave a hand in front of Star's eyes to get her to snap out of her world of thought, and sat with her on a shabby couch.

"Now, is this everyone?" Sally asked. Nikki leaned over to her from her spot in a cushy chair.

"I think you should call everyone's name, just to make sure." She smiled, nodding authoritatively as Sally called each name. "Now, tell them what the play is about, Sally." She placed a hand on Sally's shoulder.

"We're going to be doing a production that I call 'The Comedy and Death of Pyramus and Thisbe.' It's a play about…"

"Yeah, it's really good! Now, Sally, tell them what their parts are."

Sally sighed, picking up the cast list. She was supposed to be in charge here, but that egotistical Nikki kept pushing her around! No more, though! No more Miss Nice Girl! But she didn't want to be pushy right back...

She began to read.

"Nikki?"

"Yeah?" Nikki had risen to her feet, probably expecting some sort of cheering when her role was announced.

"You're playing Pyramus."

"Ah, Pyramus… who is Pyramus? A star-crossed lover or a horrible tyrant?" She acted out each with grandiose gestures and a newly-acquired lofty English accent.

"A lover who kills himself for his true love, Thisbe," Sally read from the list.

"I can do that! I'll make 'em cry their eyes out! I could play a tyrant better, of course…

'The raging rocks

And shivering shocks

Shall break the locks

Of prison gates;

And Phibbus' car

Shall shine from far

And make and mar

The foolish Fates.'

Don't even ask me what that means, but it's great, ain't it? Now give the _others_ their parts." She said "others" with a slight disdain for the less dramatically experienced, even though for all her experience, she had the acting skills of an ass… no, that would be an insult to asses everywhere.

"Flo?"

"Yes?" Flo said quietly as she stepped forward.

"You will be playing Thisbe, Pyramus' lover." Flo cringed a bit at the thought of having to play opposite an egotistical maniac, but her face lit up at the thought of a lead role.

"Thank you, Sally," she said quietly, and sat back down.

Bottom leaned towards Sally to speak quietly to her, but her voice still burst out loud and clear. "Let me play Thisbe, too!" she said, and rose to act out a loud and melodramatic scene. "Thisne, Thisne! Ah, Pyramus, lover dear! thy Thisby dear, and lady dear!"

Sally pushed her back into her chair. "Nikki, sweetie, just play Pyramus, okay? Let Flo be Thisbe. You were meant to play Pyramus, honey, and no one else." Sally knew how to get Nikki to settle down from years of practice.

"Yes, yes, I'm the perfect Pyramus! Now go on," Nikki said loudly, again with her new accent.

"Star, you're going to play Thisbe's mom, and Snow, you'll be Pyramus' dad. I'm Thisbe's dad. Snug, you're the lion." She folded the cast list sharply and slid it into her purse.

Snug leaned over to Sally and began to talk to her quietly. "Is the lion's part hard to memorize?" she asked. "You know how I'm bad with lines…"

"All you have to do is roar," Sally answered, and Nikki jumped up again.

"I know! I know! _I'll_ be the lion! I'll roar so good that they'll be begging me to do it again!"

"You'll roar too loud and scare the kids!" Sally retorted.

"No, I'll roar softly, like a bird!"

"Just… play… Pyramus!" Sally shouted.

"Fine, fine, I'll do it." Nikki flounced back onto her chair, crossing her arms and pouting.

"Now, girls, we're rehearsing in that performance space in the Tent City tomorrow night. Be there at midnight, okay?"

"We will, Sally! Let's do this thing!"

"Remember, the performance space at midnight!"


End file.
